I hate it with a burning fire. As stated so eloquently by wheelz, baseball is a sport with a large sample size, and the playoffs are bad enough already with 5- and 7-game series, now you’re going to add a one game playoff?
The first time an 84 win team bounces a 95 win team in the playoff is going to drive me absolutely bonkers.
If you want to emphasize division winners, go back to a 2-division system where the division winners automatically get home-field over the 2 wild cards. Hell, give them 4 home games if you want. But don’t give an inferior team a chance over a superior team because you weren’t creative enough to come up with a better solution.
That doesn’t seem to have had the same effect on most other expansion and relocated teams, though. People in Denver, Arizona, Seattle, Toronto, Minnesota, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Dallas were surely not amazed at this new “base-ball” concept when they got teams; presumably they had rooting interests. The New York Mets did okay despite entering a market with the Yankees in it.
For whatever reason, Florida markets suck. I don’t know why but they do. the Rays didn’t even sell out their playoff games last year; IIRC, they didn’t even come close. Again, I have to grant that the Rays have the worst stadium in the major leagues, when one takes location into account, but Jesus, come on.
Not a valid comparison. The Mets were taking over the vacuum created by the departure of the Giants and Dodgers. Those fans hated the Yankees, so the Yankees’ presence was not a detriment to acceptance of the Mets.
The problem with Florida baseball is, as so many have noted, that the fans are all fans of other teams. Teams they grew up with before they retired and moved to Hell’s Waiting Room. That coupled with the semi-annual Fire Sales that the teams hold and it’s no wonder nobody cares about the Rays or the Marlins.
As a lifetime Milwaukee Brewers fan who’s best memories are from their time in the American League, I would gleefully endorse moving the Brewers back home to the A.L. I miss playing those evil Yankees, arrogant Red Sox, and even the parade of Twinkies down I-94 a few series a season.
Watching the pitcher hit was cool for about 5 minutes. Double-switches . . . Meh!
I would rather watch a Brewer-White Sox game than a Brewer-Cub game.
Let my team go home! Houston can have the National League!